Monthly Archives: February 2014

I’m writing the Littlest Pet Shop comic book series from IDW! My artist is South American illustrator Nico Pena and backup stories are by my first editor on the Strawberry Shortcake series, Matt Anderson.

Although the TV series on the Hub has many of the same voice actors, musicians, animators and writers from My Little Pony, the premise and approach are very different. Each issue of the comic book series will be self-contained, at least for the initial 5 issues, and those stories will feature the same kind of quirky, slice-of-life circumstances dotted with fantasy elements that the television show has. The Biskits will be there too, but as the same kind of everyday antagonist any young girl would have to deal with, not as big baddies looking for world domination.

Hasbro has been very easy to work with and also very involved. This information is from their investor presentation: They’re revamping the LPS toyline next fall and it sounds like it will have more tie-ins with the show per consumer surveys indicating a high regard for the program. I’ve noticed myself that it’s not that easy to find the familiar faces of the pets from the TV show on the shelves; the product line came from more of a “collect them all” viewpoint but the series has given the pets recognizable faces young girls are seeking out. I believe the new comic series is intended as another support for this initiative.

That said, I’m taking my usual approach of writing an accessible series that both kids, parents and cartoon lovers of all ages will enjoy. The focus is on humor and character interaction; the first issue is an introductory adventure that has all of the characters working together while future issues may split into subplots. Here’s the first synopsis:

Littlest Pet Shop #1 (of 5)
Georgia Ball (w) • Nico Peña, Antonio Campo (a) • Peña (c)
The Littlest Pet Shop opens for business at IDW! Russell and Penny Ling have a puzzle for their friends to solve, and the race for clues will send them all over Downtown City. Only one team can claim the prize, but is there room for so many big personalities on one moped?
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
• Brand-new stories featuring characters from the hit television series and toy line!
• Written by Georgia Ball (Strawberry Shortcake, My Little Pony)!
• Variant Cover by Katie Cook!